Rupert and Wendi first met at a News Corp. party in 1997 while she was working at the company's Star TV Hong Kong affiliate. They married in 1999, only weeks after his divorce from his second wife, Anna. They have two daughters together: Grace and Chloe. Wendi's supermodel looks were often commented upon in the press, but it will likely be her right hook that is remembered most of all: in 2011 she was praised by reporters for smacking a man who pied Rupert at a House of Commons committee hearing.
Imeh Akpanudosen/Getty
Anna and Rupert were considered a power couple during their 32-year marriage—until she suspected he was having an affair with Wendi Deng and initiated a divorce. When the split was finalized in June 1999, Rupert left Anna with a whopping $1.7 billion in assets, including $110 million in cash. It seemed to work out for her nicely: even today the divorce settlement is the highest ever. Plus, Anna found new love and married William Mann, a wealthy investor, only months later.
Alan Berliner/AP
Patricia (not pictured), Rupert's first wife, worked as an airline hostess and department-store model. They met in 1956 in Adelaide, Australia. Two years later they had Prudence, their only child, before ending their marriage in 1966. After splitting from Rupert, Patricia reportedly began a new life as a party girl—using his money, naturally.
The former chief executive of Murdoch's News International, the exceptionally coiffed Brooks was one of his top protégés. That is, until 2011, when she was accused of participating in phone hacking and withholding evidence, among other illegal misconduct. Brooks denied the charges and resigned from the company in July 2011. Still, whether she likes it or not, Brooks will forever be linked to the scandal; her trial begins in September 2013.
Rupert’s mother, one of Australia’s most recognized philanthropists, namesake of his second daughter, and close confidante to the CEO himself, died at age 103 in 2012. She married media tycoon Keith Murdoch in 1927, when she was 19, and gave birth to the stand-up lad in March 1931. She was often in the presence of royalty, presidents, and multiple world leaders during her noted lifetime.
Ying-Shu Hsu (not pictured), former tutor and nanny to Murdoch and Deng's daughters, came forward in 2012 with a "war zone" description of the family's household. Her claims of a hectic scene (and hot tempers) in their Beverly Hills estate, specifically between her and Wendi, ignited a whole bunch of new drama. Hsu sued the Murdochs in 2007 after tripping over a tricycle, which caused permanent damage to her knee, but didn't win the case. This marked the end of her career.
Danny Moloshok/Landov
A regular feature in Britain's The Sun, the infamously bared-chested females were prominently displayed for 43 years—until they were bumped to page 13 this year. The girls were typically teenagers with exaggerated breasts, though at one time there was a push to show more "natural" women. Rupert's second hand at News Corp., Rebekah Brooks, attempted to put an end to the controversial project initiated by Murdoch, but she was no match for its force. However, Murdoch recently hinted that its end may be near.
